The invention relates to a mobile telephone which can be used in particular in a communications system for monitoring and/or guiding a vehicle or for monitoring the medical condition of a patient.
Communications systems for, for example, monitoring and/or guiding a vehicle are generally known. Thus, there are, for example, already vehicles (Internet cars) which are coupled to the Internet, which provides the driver of the vehicle with a whole series of technically interesting possibilities. A disadvantage of such vehicles is, however, that a vehicle computer which has an Internet facility and which is programmed as a stand-alone WEB server and which is connected to the Internet via a cordless mobile telephone has to be present in the interior of the vehicle. However, such vehicle computers with an Internet facility require a very large amount of space, on the one hand, and are relatively expensive, on the other hand.
The object of the invention is to develop a mobile telephone of the type mentioned at the beginning in such a way that it makes it possible to communicate on the Internet in a simpler way.
The way in which the object set is achieved is given in the characterizing part of Patent Claim 1. Advantageous refinements are presented in the subclaims.
The invention is characterized by the fact that the mobile telephone contains at least one WEB server. A WEB server is in this case a software packet which makes available specific information via an interface to the Internet, which information can be interrogated on request by other devices connected to the Internet. By virtue of the fact that the WEB server is contained in the mobile telephone, a locally independent WEB server is easily formed, said server being situated with the user of the mobile telephone at all times if the user carries the telephone with him.
As an alternative, the WEB server can also supply the information via an interface to a local network (LAN) or another network. Furthermore, it is conceivable that a plurality of WEB servers are contained in a mobile telephone, in which case, a WEB server is connected to the Internet while another WEB server may be connected to a local network. Here, it is also conceivable for the individual WEB servers contained in the mobile telephone to be coupled to one another.
According to one advantageous refinement of the invention, the at least one WEB server is contained in the microprogram control unit (MCU) of the mobile telephone. By virtue of the implementation of the WEB server in the microprogram control unit which is already present in a mobile telephone, the mobile telephone does not need to be expanded with additional components.
If the WEB server for the microprogram control unit of the mobile telephone is too large, the mobile telephone may alternatively also contain a separate microprogram control unit in which the WEB server is contained.
According to a preferred development of the invention, the at least one WEB server can be coupled to at least one further server. As a result, information which is associated in terms of content may be contained on each server, making rapid access to the corresponding information, for example for updating purposes, substantially easier. Here, the further server merely needs to be coupled to the WEB server when required, a constant link also being conceivable as an alternative.
According to a further refinement of the invention, the further server is contained in the mobile telephone, as a result of which it is likewise locally independent. However, the further server may also be one which is arranged outside the mobile telephone.
In addition, it is possible for a plurality of servers also to be contained in the mobile telephone or for a plurality of external servers to be connected to the mobile telephone via an air interface. If a plurality of servers are present, they may be, for example, continuously coupled to one another or may be coupled to one another when required. Using an external server, it is possible, for example, for specific information to be transmitted from a service provider via an air interface to the WEB server contained in the mobile telephone. This is advantageous if the information is so extensive that it is not possible to store this information on the locally independent WEB server for reasons of space.
The difference between the WEB server contained in the mobile telephone and the servers contained in the mobile telephone is that only the WEB server can be coupled to a network (Internet, LAN) via an air interface, for example.
According to another refinement of the invention, the WEB server contained in the mobile telephone can be coupled to at least one client. A client is a software packet which requests information from a server, that is to say a second software packet. A typical example is a database interrogation in which a user calls information from the database server by means of a client program.
According to one development of the invention, the at least one client is contained in the mobile telephone. As a result, the user of the mobile telephone can access the individual local servers via this client and interrogate information.
According to yet another refinement of the invention, the client which is contained in the mobile telephone is designed as a WEB browser as a result of which a user of the mobile telephone can call Internet information via an air interface by means of http.
It is also conceivable for the WEB server contained in the mobile telephone to be capable of being coupled to an external client which is designed for example, as an authorized browser and can call information from the WEB server via the air interface.
According to one preferred embodiment of the invention, the WEB server contained in the mobile telephone can itself operate as a client. As a result, the WEB server can call information from an external server (service provider), it being possible, for example, for the client which is designed as a WEB browser and is contained in the mobile telephone to be used for the access to the service provider. In addition, the WEB server is operated as a client if it calls information from one or more servers which are contained in the mobile telephone or else may be of an external design.
In accordance with one preferred embodiment of the mobile telephone according to the invention, the latter is used in a communications system for monitoring and/or guiding a vehicle. Thus, the vehicle can be supervised and controlled by the driver or by an external control centre in a relatively easy way.
According to another preferred embodiment of the mobile telephone according to the invention, it is used in a communications system for monitoring the medical condition of a patient. As a result, it is possible to request medical data in order to monitor the state of health from a central control centre or from a doctor""s practice and to initiate actions which may necessary. As an alternative, the user of the mobile telephone may call the information relating to his state of health by means of the WEB browser located in the telephone.